Hotshot rate calculator

Why hotshot rates need their own math

Hotshot freight doesn't price like a 53 ft van load. The loads are smaller and often time-sensitive, the runs are shorter or more scattered, and the empty miles to the next pickup can be long, because hotshot freight is spread thinly across oilfields, construction sites, farms and equipment dealers. A hotshot rate per mile that looks strong on a posting can turn thin once a 150-mile deadhead is counted.

This hotshot rate calculator starts from your costs, not from a market average. It counts every mile the run makes you drive, adds your margin, and never goes below the minimum charge you set for hooking up at all. Then it checks the load against your payload and tells you whether your ratings put you in CDL territory.

How the hotshot rate is calculated

Start with total trip miles: loaded miles plus the empty run to the pickup. Multiply by your cost per mile for the minimum: the rate that only covers costs. Multiply that by one plus your margin for the target. If the target comes out below your minimum charge, the minimum charge becomes the rate. Then the price per mile is shown two ways: per loaded mile, the way most postings read, and all-in, over every mile you drive.

• EXAMPLE

  EXAMPLE RUN

  450 loaded, 120 empty

  Cost per mile is $1.20 and the margin is 20%. Total miles are 570. The minimum is $684 and the target is $821, about $1.82 per loaded mile and $1.44 all-in. A 9,000 lb load is 56% of a 16,000 lb payload. On a short 60-mile run with 20 empty, the target would be only $116, so a $400 minimum charge sets the rate.

Average hot shot rate per mile: why we don't print one

You'll find plenty of numbers online for the average hot shot rate per mile. Most are old, unsourced, or mix very different freight: a short expedited run of parts and a long haul of equipment on a 40 ft gooseneck aren't the same market. Rates also swing with oil and gas activity, construction seasons and the region. A single average can mislead you in either direction.

So this tool doesn't suggest a market rate. It tells you what your truck needs. Compare that with the postings on your lanes, and you'll know quickly whether a load is worth a call. Our guide on truckload spot rates explains what moves posted rates, and freight rate software covers the tools that show lane history.

Payload and CDL: check before you book

Hotshot setups vary widely, so the calculator asks for your own ratings. Payload is what you can legally carry: your ratings minus the weight of the truck and trailer. A load heavier than that is a pass, whatever it pays.

Under federal rules in 49 CFR 383.5, a combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 lb or more needs a commercial driver's license, and it's a Class A license when the towed trailer is rated over 10,000 lb. Many dually and gooseneck setups cross that line. The calculator applies the rule to the ratings you enter. Actual weight can matter too, and some states add their own rules, so confirm with your state licensing agency.

Reading your result

• +A posting above your target. Worth a call. Check the broker, the weight and the pickup window.
• +A posting between your minimum and target. Counter at your target, with the empty miles as your reason.
• +A posting under your minimum. It costs you money to haul. Pass, unless it repositions you to a much better area.
• +Your minimum charge keeps setting the rate. You're looking at short runs. Make sure the minimum covers the time to load, secure and unload, not just the miles.

Hotshot dispatch

We dispatch hotshots at 7% of gross. Our dispatchers search hotshot freight, check every broker, counter above your floor and plan the next load before you deliver, to keep the empty miles down. Each hotshot load waits for your yes, and the broker sends the rate confirmation to you. See how we work with owner-operators, or read about our hotshot dispatch.

To build your counter on any load, use the counter-offer calculator. To estimate how much room a broker has on a posting, try the broker margin check.